No place for vandalism in Campaign ’12
An attack by vandals on a congressional candidate’s office in Rock Falls has no place in the current campaign. We reject such cowardly activity. We encourage all area residents to do the same.
How do you like your eggs in the morning?
Scrambled?
Fried?
Over easy?
Sunny side up?
Thrown at a politician’s campaign office and a staff member’s car?
The first four choices are perfectly acceptable. Add toast, butter, a little salt, pepper, bacon and a glass of orange juice, and you’ve created a tasty way to greet the day.
The last choice is blatantly unacceptable.
Last Friday morning, however, that unacceptable situation is what greeted staff members at the Cheri Bustos for Congress office in Rock Falls.
Overnight, vandals tossed eggs at the building. A staffer’s vehicle parked there overnight also was egged. The car bore a Bustos bumper sticker. It was the only vehicle vandalized in the parking lot.
Cheri Bustos is a Democrat from East Moline. She is campaigning for the U.S. House seat held by U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, a first-term Republican from Colona.
Bustos called the incident “sad” and described it as “juvenile behavior.”
A spokesman for Schilling called it “unfortunate.”
Schilling, in an emailed statement, said, “This type of illegal activity is wrong, and we won’t stand for it.”
We agree.
No one should stand for what happened to Bustos’ office and her staff members’ car.
It’s shameful to engage in such outrageous behavior.
Americans embrace robust debate amid lively political campaigns, but the combatants traditionally limit their jousting to words and nothing more.
Partisans who vandalize opponents’ property or otherwise break the law are unwelcome in Campaign 2012.
We encourage anyone who knows anything about the vandalism at the Bustos campaign office to call the Rock Falls Police Department at 815-622-1140.
Tipsters may also call the reward hotline operated by Whiteside County Crimestoppers at 815-625-7867.
Sometimes politicians end up with egg on their faces (figuratively speaking).
Sometimes a politician lays an egg when an initiative fails badly.
But politicians should never have eggs smashed onto their offices and supporters’ vehicles. We reject such cowardly activity. We encourage area residents to do the same.
